


Not a perfect soldier...

by flawedM



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 12:15:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2191485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flawedM/pseuds/flawedM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winter Soldier AU where Steve never rips the mask off the winter soldier so he never learns that it’s Bucky and he ends up killing him and after he’s dead Steve takes off the mask and realizes what he’s done</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not a perfect soldier...

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this [Tumblr post](http://buckybarneswho.tumblr.com/post/95333017103/winter-soldier-au-where-steve-never-rips-the-mask)  
> You can also find the story on my tumblr, [here](http://flawless-dwarves.tumblr.com/post/95594571305/bvckyforbes-buckybarneswho-winter-soldier-au) If you want to share it there

“What else do we know about the Winter Soldier?” Steve asked as Fury slowly sat down with a grimace of pain.

“Not much. I mean, we weren’t even sure he existed so far. You didn’t see his face?” They all shook their heads.

“He was wearing a mask the whole time…” Sam groaned.

Steve remained silent. The Soldier’s eyes had awaken something in him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He kept on wondering why he hesitated before shooting him, leaving Natasha the time to fire and force him to flee. Steve wondered why he felt like Sam calling his name was what made the Soldier stop. That was ridiculous. He had to concentrate.

“This man declined a Nobel Peace Prize” said Fury, disgusted, holding a picture of Pierce. “He said peace wasn’t an achievement. It was a responsibility… You see… It’s stuff like this that gives me trust issues”

“We have to stop the launch” Natasha said, turning her eyes on Steve.

“I don’t think the council is accepting my calls anymore” Fury said, opening a suitcase with three cards in it.

“What’s that?” asked Sam

A plan, thought Steve. That was a plan.

\-------

“Did they see his face?”

“No, he had the mask on all along…”

The tension in Pierce’s shoulders eased a little. Not all was lost yet. He walked to the Soldier and ordered, slipping his glasses in his jacket “Mission report”.  The Soldier didn’t acknowledged him, his eyes lost in the void. “Mission report. Now” Pierce repeated. The Soldier didn’t react. Pierce took one more step toward the Soldier and slapped him, hard enough to make the Soldier finally react. He straightened his back and looked at Pierce with confused eyes.

 “The man on the bridge? Who was he?”

“You met him earlier this week on another assignment.” Pierce answered, hoping it would be enough.

The Soldier remained quiet for a while, then said “I knew him.” 

 Pierce sat down in front of him. ”Your work has been a gift to mankind.” He said. “You shaped the century. And I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we’re gonna give it a push. But, you don’t do your part, I can’t do mine. And HYDRA can’t give the world the freedom it deserves.”

The Soldier looked back, knowing what he was about to say was not the right thing but he couldn’t help himself.  ”But I knew him.”

Pierce ignored him and turned to the men in the white coats. “Prep him.”

“He’s been out of cryo-freeze too long.” 

”Then wipe him, and start over.” The scientists nodded obediently and as they prepared the Soldier, Pierce grabbed Rumlow’s arm and ordered, his voice cold as ice “Make sure he keeps the mask all the time. Glue it to his face if necessary.” Rumlow nodded in agreement and both went out of the vault, accompanied by the Soldier’s screams of torment.

\------

Steve stopped at the entrance of the room. The Soldier was standing before the heart of the system, blocking Steve’s way. He was still wearing his mask and laid his dead eyes on Steve.

Steve didn’t hesitate a second before throwing his shield at the Soldier’s face. He countered it with his metallic arm. Steve caught his shield back as he ran toward his enemy. The soldier started shooting, but Steve manage to avoid the first three shots. The fourth slid beneath the shield and left a burning feeling on his side. Ignoring the pain, Steve hit the Soldier as hard as he could with his shield, sending him a few feet away.

The soldier stood up immediately, taking a knife out. They exchanged a few punches without really taking the advantage over the other, then Steve managed to make him step back again, leaving him an opportunity to replace the controller. He ran to the system and just had time to type the opening command before feeling the soldier in his back. He turned around just in time to stop the knife with his shield. The Soldier grabbed in with his bionic arm, and weighted on Steve, paralyzing him, his arm recalibrating under the effort. Steve was still amazed by the strength the Soldier was showing. He kicked him in the stomach and ran back to the controllers. He took one out and grabbed the one to replace it and then again was interrupted by the Soldier. He managed to force him to back up but the Soldier took back the advantage and pushed him over the rail. Steve dropped the controller in his fall. He saw it slide to the end of the ramp they landed on. The Soldier ran toward him and he welcomed him with a knee in the stomach. He felt air leaving his lungs when the metallic fist violently blow his ribs, but he held on and kick him in the face in return. With a groan of pain, the Soldier returned the favor with his left arm, sending Steve at the far end of the ramp. He grabbed the controller in his fall and managed to stop himself before he went overboard.

The Soldier was already on his back and he grabbed his arms and hit him until he managed to pop the controller out of Steve’s hand. Steve knocked him in the face and threw him over the ramp with a solid kick. He then jumped to get the controller back.

As he ran toward it, he felt a sudden pain in his back and fell over. He used his shield against him… his _own_ shield! He didn’t have time to think too much about it as he saw the Soldier pointing a gun at him. He grabbed his shield and hid behind it. As soon as the Soldier stopped shooting, Steve threw the shield back at him, but once again it rebounded against the bionic arm without causing any harm. The Soldier came forth a knife in his hand and Steve had to jump back to avoid getting his throat sliced open. He wasn’t fast enough to avoid the stab in the shoulder. He screamed in pain and head-butted the Soldier, who send him against the wall before getting to the controller. Steve was too late to prevent it, but he grabbed him by the throat before subduing him. He was holding his right arm, tight, and his left hand was against the Soldier’s throat. He couldn’t move without Steve hurting him.

“Drop it!” he ordered. The Soldier tried to reach him with his other arm. “Drop it!” he repeated. As the Soldier refused, Steve coldly twisted his arm until he heard the shoulder getting out of its place. The soldier screamed in pain but still refused to let go of the controller. Steve changed his hold on him and, falling on his back, got one of his arms around the Soldier’s throat. He somehow managed to block the bionic arm with his leg. He brought his other hand to hold the Soldier’s face and violently twisted his head. There was a loud crack and the Soldier suddenly relaxed in his arms. He let him fall to the side and, grabbing the controller the Soldier finally had let go of, ran back up.

“Charlie lock” he said once the controller in its place.

“ok, Cap, get out of there” he heard Maria in his ear. But there was one last thing he wanted to do.

“Fire now.”

“But Steve…”

“DO IT! Do it now! I’ll be out in no time!”

He jumped back where the Soldier was still lying. The helicarrier started to burst out but he needed to know. He laid a hand on the mask and softly took it off.

The shock made him crawl back and his heart sank in his chest. No. It couldn’t be… His eyes were lying, it couldn’t be… He came back toward the Soldier, and hesitantly touched his cheek. Then, as if he suddenly realized what he had done, he took him in his arms, howling “No no no, Bucky, no!” He started rocking back and forth, holding Bucky’s inanimate body tighter “…. Not you, it can’t be you, Buck… Oh Bucky… What have I done…” He should have known. Of course he recognized his eyes. He should have known…. He didn’t care about the explosions around him. He stuffed his face in Bucky’s long hair and started crying. He couldn’t help thinking Bucky would have hated long hair, he forced Steve to cut them himself every time he thought they were growing too much…  “I’m so sorry, Bucky… I didn’t know… I didn’t know…  please… please come back… Don’t leave me alone, not again…” He was sobbing against Bucky’s neck. “Come back again, please… please Bucky… I need you…”

He desperately searched for a pulse at Bucky’s neck, but deep down he knew he hadn’t let him any chance. He had failed him again. “Oh Bucky, look what happened to us…” he whispered in Bucky’s ear, softly stroking his hair and knowing he wasn’t there anymore to hear. “I’m so sorry I didn’t save you the first time, Buck…” He looked up as a shot made the ramp just above them explode. “I’m not leaving you anymore Bucky…I can’t…  I’m with you till the end of the line” he finished in a sob.

The debris fell around them and he protected Bucky as much as he could. He held on tighter as he felt the ground falling apart around them. They were falling. He clung to Bucky and when he hit the water and felt the violence of the impact emptying his lungs, he just focused enough to make sure he didn’t let go. He let both their weights drag him to the bottom of the Potomac and welcomed darkness with relief.

\------

With the fall of both HYDRA and SHIELD, the Winter Soldier’s file was out for everyone to see and the public quickly took pity on Barnes’ tragic destiny. His and Captain America’s stories were doomed to become legend.

Once their bodies were finally dragged out of the bottom of the Potomac River, Sam and Natasha made sure they were buried side by side on the sunniest place they could find.

     Steven G. Rogers                                                                  James B. Barnes

       1918-2014                                                                           1917-2014        

  Not a perfect soldier…                                                        … but a good man

 


End file.
